すり流し豆腐 Surinagashi dōfu

Puréed Tofu

#14 尋常品 Commonplace

English Interpretation

Drain tofu thoroughly and grind well in a mortar. Combine with dashi and prepare as though pouring it. Serve in a bowl like a soup. It flows smoothly.

原文 · Original (1782)

豆腐を綺麗に水切りし、すり鉢にてよく摺り潰すべし。出汁に合はせて流すが如くに仕立つべし。椀に盛りて汁の如くに供すべし。滑らかなる流れの如し。

Transliteration

Tōfu wo kirei ni mizukiri shi, suribachi nite yoku suri-tsubussu beshi. Dashi ni awase te nagasu ga gotoku ni shitatezu beshi. Wan ni mori te shiru no gotoku ni kyō su beshi. Namerakanaruru nagare no gotoshi.

Notes & Annotations

Surinagashi (擂り流し/すり流し) is a Japanese soup technique in which an ingredient is ground and strained into dashi. The term appears across many traditional Japanese preparations.

English Recipe

Ingredients

  • firm tofu 豆腐 1 block (350 g)
    一丁 Well-pressed
  • dashi stock 出汁 300 ml
    Kombu and bonito or vegetable

Method

Serves 2–3

1. Press firm tofu very well to remove excess moisture.
2. In a suribachi (grinding bowl), grind the tofu into a smooth, homogeneous paste using the pestle.
3. Gradually thin the paste by adding 300 ml warm dashi, stirring gently until you reach a flowing, soup-like consistency.
4. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into serving bowls.
5. Serve warm as a silky soup or sauce, perhaps with a light garnish of yuzu zest or kinome leaf.

Surinagashi is a fundamental soup technique found across traditional Japanese cuisine. The name describes the movement: 'suri' (ground) + 'nagashi' (flowing). The result is luxuriously smooth, almost a tofu sauce.